Same Path, Different Boots To Walk In
by FictionLover2508
Summary: On her way home from a grocery run, a young aspiring Trainer is ambushed and kidnapped, only to escape a few days later. Now, Delia Ketchum must do her best to protect both herself and her son from the organisation that attacked her so long ago. There is only one small problem. Her son is not as human is he might look. Rated T for the implications of rape in the prologue.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Prologue

A group of people could be seen, breaking through the foliage in what appeared to be a rather lush rainforest. The group consisted of people of different ages and gender, however, they all seemed to be looking for something. Except for that, the only thing that was shared by everyone was the big,bold letter R painted in red in the middle of their chests. Suddenly, a man in the lead paused, his gaze concentrating on a spot about three feet to his right, where, somehow, few drops of blood were floating in between two small bushes.

Grinning, the man brought what appeared to be a walkie-talkie to his face and said: „Boss, we've found it. We've found the sample!"

* * *

It was the dead of night in the small town known as Pallet Town. Pallet Town is a small town in the western reaches of the Kanto region. It had first garnered attention when Masara Ookido ranked 921 st on Kanto's Top 10 000 trainers list. At the time, Masara became so famous that there are still maps today which have Pallet Town marked as Masara Town.

However, Pallet Town's true rise to fame happened when Samuel Oak became the Indigo League Champion. Samuel Oak is actually the grandson of Masara Okido and he went on to become a world-renowned Pokémon Researcher.

But that was all in the past and what matters right now is the present. For you see, a shape could be made out in the darkness of the night, approaching a giant, observatorium like building, Professor Oak's lab.

Once it came close enough, the light from the windows revealed that the shape was in fact a young woman. She seemed to be wounded and a slight limp could be seen in her step.

Approaching the door, the woman paused for a bit, trying to regain her breath. Once she was suitably recovered, the woman rose up from the crouch she was in and gently rang the doorbell.

* * *

Professor Samuel Oak was called many things during his life. A talented Trainer, a Champion, a genius Pokémon Researcher. What many people didn't know though, was that Professor Oak was at times wildly overenthusiastic.

Take the current situation for example. Professor Oak was snoring, with his head in his arms, sorrounded by a veritable mountain of research papers and notes. His sleep, however, was disturbed by the piercing, shrill sound of his doorbell.

Jumping up, his body alert even if his eyes were still clouded by sleep, Professor Oak turned around, taking in his sorroundings and relaxed, not having found any danger to his person. Once he relaxed, he realised that what woke him up was his doorbell. Now, who woud be up at this time of day and why were they at his door?

Opening the door, Professor Oak was momentarily stunned by the sight of the shivering, wounded woman before he rushed to her side. „Delia!Oh my Arceus!What happened to you?Who did this?"

The woman, Delia, smiled weakly at the worry and concern in the old Professor's voice before she whispered : „T... Team Rocket."

* * *

„There she is! Get her!"

The sounds of a chase. An impact. Darkness.

A light, stabbing her brain through her eyes.

Noise. Voices, speaking one over the other.

„-ot ready, the operation -"

„-ccess, she is preg-"

„-ld is part Poké-"

„-gendary -"

And then silence. No sound.

A sensation. Something... something thick and sticky covering her hands.

Red. Blood red.

* * *

Delia Ketchum awoke with a gasp, a scream of horror dying in her throat. Jerking her body into a sitting position, Delia scanned her sorroundings, trying to figure out where she was.

Relaxing once she realised she was currently safe inside Professor Oak's lab, Delia tried to calm her racing heart, still quite clearly affected by her nightmares.

Having finally completely relaxed, Delia turned her attention to her physical condition. She still felt sore, her feet felt seconds from falling off but it seemed that she was most definitely in a better condition than she remembered. Her wounds seemed to have been bandaged whilst she was unconscious and a bruise cream was obviously applied to her now missing bruises. All in all, Delia concluded that she was in a much better state than she was just a few hours ago.

Once done examinig her body, she turned her attetion to the slumped figure sleeping in a chair in the corner of the room. It was clear he had spent a large part of the night by her side waiting for her to wake up, eventually falling asleep himself. While it may seem strange to some people for the kind, old Professor to be so concerned about a Trainer he had no relation to, it was not so surprising to Delia. Ever since the death of her mother a few months back, he had done everything in his power to both comfort her and make sure she is safe, wherever she may be at the time.

„Delia! You are awake! Finally! Are you alright? By Arceus Delia, what happened to you? I know you said Team Rocket, but what exactly have they done? While you had some injuries from fighting, it seems as though most of them came from some kind of a surgery?! By Arceus Delia, what happened?"

It seems that while she was off reminiscing, the wizened Professor had woken up and, in his usual style, started firing off questions a mile a minute.

„Calm down, Professor! I'm alright now, just a bit tired and as to what happened... I... I may have a clue as to what happened, but that is just guess." Delia said, turning a bit sad and melancholic towards the end.

„I... Alright. Of course, you're alright. I saw to that myself. But, Delia, what exactly happened? I mean, I know you said Team Rocket, but what did they do?" The wise Professor seemed to have finally calmed down, his body visibly relaxing, his muscles no longer as tense as before. He was lookig at her with a look that she knew very well. It was a look that said he was on a hunt. For answers, culprits and blood. Right now, Professor Oak was showing a side of himself that he hadn't brought to the surface in years now. It was a side of him that was the reason behind the silence and relative passivenes of the notorious crime syndicate for the past few years. It was also this side of him that made Pallet Town nearly untouchable in their eyes. A Rocket grunt wouldn't dare steal a Rattatta in a territory under his supervision. It made Delia feel safe, it made her feel like she was home.

„I can't remember much, most probably because I was drugged during most of my time in their _oh so tender care_. What I can remember is being ambushed during my trip home from grocery shopping in Viridian. I was able to escape the initial ambush and evade them for a time, but I was eventually caught. After that, my memories are fragmented and disjointed, this was most probably caused by the drugs they had pumped into me. I can only remember flashes, and only very short ones at that.

However, what I can remember gives me a pretty good idea of what happened to me and what they did, even if I can not tell exactly _how_. Professor, I believe that I am pregnant." Delia concluded, voice trembling at the last sentence, making it sound shaky and weak.

Professor Oak immediately jumped to his feet, grief, rage and sorrow warring on his face.

„NO! Please tell me you weren't... that they haven't..." he trailed off, unable to bear the thought.

Delia understood almost instantly what he wanted to say. „No! No, I haven't been... you know. I think that the surgery those bastards performed on me resulted in me being pregnant." Delia explained, unable to speak about the very real possibility of that happening if she was caught ever again.

Professor Oak collapsed back into his chair, his body shaking, bathed in sweat, a huge gasp of relief leaving his lungs. „Thank Arceus. But, why did they do this? What was the purpose of getting you pregnant? Team Rocket only ever does something if it helps them. I don't see what possible use could they have of your child."

Delia nodded, eyes downcast, racking her brain for words with which to express her doubts and fears. „You are right. They did have a purpose. You see, I believe that this child, my child, will not be completely human. From what I was capable of recalling, they used Pokémon DNA to impregnate me. Legedary Pokémon DNA at that."

Now, one thing needs to be said about Professor Samuel Oak. He has not experienced true shock in _decades_. While he may have been startled and even surprised by some things over the years, he has not been shocked since he was a relatively young man. And yet here he was, gaping at the woman he saw as a surrogate daughter, his mind blanked by shock and disbelief.

„Part... Part Pokémon?Part Legendary Pokémon as well? How... How is that even possible? There has never been a recorded case in all of history of a human-Pokémon offspring. And not to mention, it's supposed to have a Legendary Pokémon as a father! Do you know which one is it?"

It seems that no matter what kind of information he recieved, Samuel Oak was a Researcher first and foremost.

Delia smiled slightly at the enthusiasm of the old Professor, shaking her head.

„Unfortunately I don't know, I only know that the DNA used belonged to a Legedary Pokémon. Heck, I don't even know if the DNA came from a male Legendary. For all I know it could have as easily come from a female." Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Professor Oak nodded and took hold of Delia's hand, his eyes locking onto hers. „I guess that doesn't matter now. All we can do right now is be careful and patient. Team Rocket is going to be looking for either you or your child later. We are only lucky that they don't seem to know who you are, just what you look like. Our main priority right now is protecting you both."

Delia smiled, laying back down, exhausted both mentally and physically. „Professor... Samuel, can I ask you something?" she inquired.

Professor Oak nodded, smiling „Anything."

Delia smiled, happy to know she could count on her surrogate father figure no matter what. „I want you to help me make sure my child, be it a boy or a girl, can defend himself. Would you be willing to take him or her on as an apprentice when he or she is old enough?"

The old Professor just simply smiled back „Do you even have to ask?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form, own or profit from Pok** **émon.**

 **Chapter 2**

Delia Ketchum awoke slowly, luxuriating in the feeling of having a good, long sleep. Stretching her arms above her head, eyes still closed with a light smile on her face, Delia entertained the idea of falling back asleep, just so she could feel like this for the second time today.

However, she knew that she had other, much more demanding, responsibilities that she had to take care of. The one responsibility that she would always, always put first, even over her own health, was the happiness, safety and well-being of her son Ash.

Here, Delia frowned, her brow crinkling in sadness and regret. For while she was able to make sure that her son was safe and healthy at all times, she seemed to be unable to give him the peace of mind that so many people took for granted these days. Her son was almost constantly deep in thought, pondering on thought that no child should even know exist, let alone have them.

Her son was tortured by the question of where he belonged, with humans, like his mother, or with Pokémons, like his father? At least they all considered the Legendary whose DNA was used in Ash's conception to be male.

She still vividly remembered when she had to explain to her child his origins, that is, the power he inherited because of what his father is. She knew that he was only 5 at the time, but this was his heritage, she couldn't deny him that.

 _Delia was humming under her breath while she stood in her kitchen, overlooking the preparation of her family's lunch. She wasn't able to enjoy simple pleasures like this lately, both because her son had finally reached the age where he was old enough to start learning, both about the world of Pok_ _é_ _mon ad the world of men. To further take away her time in the kitchen, a few weeks ago Professor Oak lent her a Mr. Mime, to help her cope with the workload of a young boy's mother._

 _Not that she was ungrateful. In fact, there were times when she would thank Arceus for Mimey, as she had nicknamed the newest addition to her household. She seemed to have an instinctual knowledge of when Ash needed help, whether it was hers or his mothers._

 _Delia was snapped out of her musings by the sound of the front door opening and closing shortly after that. Delia smiled, Ash was home. She hoped he was happy, seeing as he had had his first day at school today. Turning around to greet her son, Delia was startled to see his eyes were downcast, more importantly, they were focused on the medallion attached to the chain looped around his neck._

 _That medallion was her family's second biggest secret, or at least its function was. While it may appear as nothing more than a flashy accessory, that medallion was much more important than that. It was a fairly simple device in design, consisting of a large, golden disk with a startlingly blue eye at its center. What distinguished it from any other medallion was that it used the wearers own Aura to manipulate the light around him and alter his appearance according to his wishes. It did so by drawing on the wearers Aura through the silver chain connected to the medallion, causing sky blue veins to appear on the links, making it seem as if the chain, along with the medallion on it, is alive._

 _The medallion was unfortunately a necessity for Ash when outside his home because it hid his real appearance from others, particularly those that would wish to harm him for his heritage. Or even worse, those that would use him for that same reason._

 _The medallion was conceived and later made by Professor Samuel Oak, however, to ensure that it would function properly, he had consulted with the Lucario Kingdom in the northern reaches of the Sinnoh region. While he had divulged its purpose and use to the Kingdom, he had assured Delia that he had at no point made any mention of Ash or his heritage._

 _Delia was concerned that Ash would look at the medallion with such a pensive look in his eyes. It most probably meant that he had yet again started thinking about his place in this world. And that saddened her greatly, for no young boy should ever have to ponder questions such as those. Those were the questions and debates of grown men, not young children. „Ash, dear, are you alright? You look sad? Did something happen?" Delia finally asked, no longer able to bear the oppressing silence in the room._

 _That finally snapped Ash out of his depressive musings. He started, his eyes shooting up to meet hers, embarrassment evident in his eyes and the blush spreading over his face. It was obvious to him that his mother had caught him pondering whatever it was that was bothering him today._

„ _Ah, Mom, no I'm alright. Nothing to worry about. I was just thinking about what we learned today. No problem." Ash smiled nervously, dearly hoping that his mother would drop it. Not only did he always feel a bit uncomfortable when his mother fussed over him and his health, but he would always feel guilty whenever she would worry about him, despite the fact that as his mother she was supposed to worry over him. He started towards the stairs, hoping to circumvent the conversation by escaping the room._

„ _Are you sure dear? You know I will always listen to you, no matter how stupid or unimportant to you your fears might sound. I am your mother, after all. It's in the job description." She smiled, hoping to relax him and coax him into telling her what was on his mind. While she had a pretty good guess as to what was bothering her only child, she would still like for him to tell her himself, mostly because that will help him more than it would if she forced him to talk about it._

 _Ash visibly faltered in his walk, his foot nearly missing the first step. Delia heard him take a deep breath before he turned around, sadness easily visible in his eyes._

„ _I... Mom, we were talking about family today. And then we... we started talking about fathers... I just, I don't know... Mom, will I ever know who my father is? Why I have to wear this medallion?" He questioned, medallion clutched in his hand, clearly digging into his skin. His voice was part desperate, part hopeful, torn by his grief over never knowing his origins and hope that one day he would have a chance of meeting his biological father face-to-face._

„ _Ah, thought as much. Ash I want you to look me in the eye." Delia said, smiling lightly. She knelt so that she was closer to his height. „Ash, I will admit, you will never have a normal life, both because of your father's power and the people that would not hesitate for a moment to abuse that power. However, that doesn't matter to me. You are my son, and to me, that is enough._

 _Ash you are a wonderful person, I can tell you that without having to even think about it. Despite your unique situation, you have never held a grudge against your father, something that a lot of people wouldn't be able to do. I have known many people, both young and old, who were never able to get over the fact that their father wasn't able to be there for them as they grew up._

 _And then we have the powers you clearly inherited from your father. I can't count the number of people who have abused even as simple of a power as owning a Pok_ _é_ _ball is, yet I have never seen you use your power for anything other than helping Pok_ _é_ _, I know that you are still young and as such don't know how to control that power, but it doesn't matter. In fact, it might even matter more than if you had control over your powers. Because you didn't have control over your powers, they acted upon your instincts, and those were to always help anyone in need. And that, my son, is a trait much more valuable to me than gold or any other kind of precious metal." Delia finally finished, smiling a wide, honest smile at her only son._

 _Finally, a smile broke on her son's face. It seemed that she was successful in the end._

„ _Uhmm... Mom, would it be possible for me to meet my Dad one day? My real Dad, I mean? Not that here is anything wrong with Grandpa Oak, he is awesome! I, I just want to know where a part of me came from, you know?" Ash babbled, once again nervous, though he seemed to also be a bit excited this time._

 _Delia put a finger over her son's lips, stopping the now constant flow of unrecognizable babble coming from his mouth. „Honey, I understand. Professor Oak has done an amazing job helping me raise you, but he is not your real parent, it is understandable that you are curious about you Father. Honestly I would be more surprised if you weren't this curious." Delia smiled kindly, ruffling her son's messy hair even more, getting him to scowl playfully up at her and bat her hand away._

„ _As for your question, of course you will meet him one day if that is what you want. However if you are serious about finding and meeting your Father, I want you to promise me something." Delia suddenly turned serious, giving her son a look that told him to better take what she was going to say seriously. Or else._

„ _What do I have to promise you, Mom?" Ash asked, voice steady, face serious. It seems that this wasn't the first time he thought of going out into the world and finding out about his Father. Delia was suddenly so much happier with her decision to demand from Ash what she was about to._

„ _Ash, if you really are serious about searching for your Father, you are going to have to prepare yourself. Firstly, while I do want you to find and form a bond with your Father, I also want you to have a second goal to your journey, whether it is being the Pok_ _é_ _mon Master, or just a simple Breeder, I want your journey to be more than a desperate search for your Father. I have seen many men who have wasted their entire lives looking for even a glimpse of Legendary Pok_ _é_ _mon, I do not wish to see that happen to you._

 _Secondly, and more importantly, if you truly wish to go on this journey, you will be trained by both myself and Professor Oak. Aside from the dangers found in the wilderness everywhere, you know as well as I do that there are people out there who wouldn't hesitate to harm you, child or not. And then we have Team Rocket. Ash you have to understand, that medallion will not be able to protect you forever. The day will come when it will fail and you will have to rely on yourself and your companions, be they Pok_ _é_ _mon or human._

 _Do you accept those terms, Ash? Be aware, I cannot in good consciousness let you leave on your search without you agreeing to those terms." Delia finished, her eyes glinting. She may not be a Trainer anymore, and as such, she did not need to train anymore, but she still had that pride and courage that made her help Professor Oak with so many of his actions against Team Rocket. And she will do anything in her power to make sure her son was ready for the day they come for him._

 _Ash looked up at his mother, and seeing that glint in her yes, knew she wasn't joking. If he accepted these terms, he will most definitely be trained and taught until he couldn't take it anymore. He saw both his mother and the man he considered his honorary Grandfather go all out and knew that such knowledge and skill came from grueling training._

 _Arceus he hoped he had used that word correctly, it was still new to him and he was a bit unsure when applying her in a sentence. He knew his mother praised him for his quick uptake and massive... learning curve, she said? Anyway, he knew that he was technically much smarter and much more mature than what was normal for his age but he still felt uncertain with some words and phrases. I mean come on cut him some slack, he was only five years old. And that is not mentioning that he is part Pok_ _é_ _mon, which allowed him to have these kinds of thoughts in the first place. Not to mention he-_

 _ ***SNAP***_

 _Ash twitched, looking up at his mother and realized that he had lost himself in his thoughts again. He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, abashed._

„ _Of course I'm going to agree, if I want to be the best, I have to be trained by the best, don't I?"_

Smiling once again at her son's apparently endless amount of optimism and self-confidence, Delia rose from her bed to prepare for her day and start making breakfast for herself and Ash. After getting dressed and refreshed, Delia started preparing a seemingly ridiculous amount of food for a simple breakfast for two.

The reason for this was twofold. Delia learned through the years that her son's mixed heritage gave him an impossibly high metabolism so he could devour enough food in one sitting to make a Snorlax proud. The second reason for making such a large breakfast was that Ash was right now going through an intensive training regime she had set out for him for these last few months.

When she had told Ash that she was not going to hold back simply because he was her son, she wasn't kidding. In fact, that just made her push him harder. While what she had made him do might seem to others like a torture straight from medieval times, it was not so horrible for him because of the quite frankly ridiculous endurance he seemed to have. That is not to say it was easy for him to do what she told him, it just made it manageable. If she had to push her son to the brink of exhaustion and back for him to be safe, than that is what she was damn well gonna do.

Hearing Ash approaching, Delia set down the last of the massive amounts of breakfast foods. Looking up, she caught sight of Ash heading towards the bathroom, almost literally swimming in his sweat. Good, he seemed to have finished his exercises correctly and completely.

A few moments later, Ash entered the kitchen, a brand new set of clothes on him." Good morning, Mom." He greeted, smiling serenely. The results of his training, the long term ones at least, were evident in his build and posture. While he was not built like some of those crazy body builder children, it was still very much clear that he exercised and took care of his body. His posture also reflected the results of his training. He was relaxed, but he was also aware of everything going on around him, a practice that Delia had literally beaten into him to ensure that he would not find himself in an ambush like she had so many years ago.

„Good morning dear. Have you finished all of your exercises?" Delia inquired, even though she already knew the answer to her question.

„Of course I did Mom, who do you take me for, Gary?" Ash replied, voice taking on a fake hurt tone along with a mocking tone underneath it that was just barely recognizable.

Delia sighed inwardly, her mood slightly dampened with the reminder of her son's relationship with Professor Oak's grandson, Gary Oak. Gary was nearly the same age as Ash, a few months older in fact. He was the only person in the school, beside the teachers, whose knowledge of Pokémon equaled Ash's own. In the beginning, their friendship and rivalry were good natured, those of two equals that urged each other on, to greater and greater achievements. However, while Ash's success and knowledge were seen as the fruits of his diligence and work ethic, Gary's own were described as the products of his heritage and natural genius. Over time, that led to Gary developing an arrogant personality which caused him to view Ash's as his inferior, despite evidence proving otherwise.

Now, years later, what started out as a good natured friendship and rivalry, has become, through the influence of the society, a bitter rivalry in which neither side was ready to admit that they are wrong. And yes, she knew that her son was not perfect. While he was not the one to incite the changes in their relationship, Ash certainly did not help by rising to Gary's bait so often.

Pushing those thought aside, Delia smiled and tried to change the subject of their conversation. „Ash, are you ready for tomorrow? I would hate for something to happen to you simply because you were underprepared. After all, imagine what Professor Oak would say if all his efforts were to go to waste just because you were lazy." Delia teased lightly, knowing the last thing her son wanted to do was disappoint the man that thought him so much about the various Pokémon of the Kanto, and all other regions.

„No! No! I prepared everything, I promise I did. I'm ready for tomorrow. I know I am!" Ash said with conviction. It was obvious that the thought of not going on this journey scared him a lot more than any other. And Delia understood it. Ever since that day, everything Ash did was for the purpose of preparing himself for this journey. And while his dedication brought her great pride, it also worried her. She was scared that Ash had invested so much in this journey that not only would he not know how to interact with his peers, but that he also wouldn't be able to function after he finds his father. Delia desperately hoped that her son would find a reason to keep on going after reaching his goal during his travels.

„I know dear, I was just teasing you. However, I do want you to check and make sure that you have everything ready for tomorrow, because, knowing you, there won't be any time left for additional packing." Delia explained with a kind smile, trying not to let her emotions from her previous train of thought show. She didn't want her son to worry about her too much, he worried enough already as it is.

„Alright Mom, I'll check again. Just you wait, I'll go on that journey tomorrow and I will find my Father. I promise." Ash said with conviction, looking his mother in the eye. He smiled at her before turning around and racing up the stairs, his feet making a thunder like noise as they pounded the stairs.

Delia smiled sadly at her son's statement.

„I want you to find much more than that on this journey, Ash. "

 **AN: Here is the second chapter in my first story. I would like to thank everyone that viewed and especially reviewed my story so far. Thank you all. I would also ask of you who have not reviewed to do so, even if it is only to point out any mistakes I may have made that slipped by me. Those kinds of reviews help me improve my writing and also give me a reason to work faster. If you are wondering, I will try to update this story every two weeks or so, sometimes sooner, sometimes later.**


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